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Window treatments are such an important part of any design, but are also one that is intimidating to many people. Windows are like the eyes of a room. Drapes and shades are the mascara that makes them pop. Custom window treatments are easily thousands of dollars, so today I’m going to show you how to make your own no-sew roller shade. They are an easy and inexpensive fix for bare windows, and can be customized to perfectly enhance your room.
Roller Shade Supplies
- Fabric of your choice. I chose Elsie’s Garden in tan and soft blue from Spoonflower
- Drapery lining of your choice
- Roller shade(the tear off plastic type)
- Fabric glue or E6000
- Shade hardware(if not included with your shade)
- Iron
- Pins
Measure and Install Shade Hardware
The first thing you will need to do is get your roller shade hardware installed. Decide if you will mount the shade on the inside or outside of your window. The shade I am making is for my porch door, so I mounted the hardware as wide as possible without the shade covering the doorknob.
Measure And Cut Fabric
Take your window measurements and add two inches to each side for the width, and four to six inches to the length. Cut the fabric and place it face down on a large table or the floor.
Fold in 1-2″ on the long sides to create a tidy edge that is the finished width you need. Use pins to secure the fold, and give it a quick press with an iron. Run a bead of fabric glue inside the seam and press to seal. Let this dry several hours. Leave the top and bottom of the fabric untouched for now.
Add Shade Liner
Next you will need to measure and cut the fabric liner for your shade. Pro tip: to easily cut a thin shade liner straight, you can use floor tile grout lines as your guide. I cut mine as wide as my ‘hemmed’ fabric we just did.
Place your decorative shade fabric ‘nice side’ down, and put the shade liner ‘nice side’ up on top.
Fold the outside edges of your liner under to create another finished hem and pin to your shade fabric. I left a very small(and imperfect)edge. This is the back of your shade, but it still needs to look nice and finished. Give it a quick press to make a flat fold.
Secure Your Roller Shade Liner
Once you have pinned and pressed your liner on the back of your shade fabric, you will now need to glue it down. Run a small bead of glue under the flat hem to secure it to the fabric. Remember, the top and bottom of your shade should remain undone for now. We are just doing the sides of the shade. Allow this to dry several hours before moving on.
Add Roller Shade Tension Bar
Now that the shade is dry, you can move on to the next step – securing your fabric to the roller bar. Begin by pulling the plastic ‘shade’ that came on your roller completely off – we don’t need this. There is a sticky adhesive on the tension bar already, but it isn’t nearly strong enough to hold this lined fabric. I’ve used E6000 glue for this entire project, and it’s also a good option for this step as well.
Adjust your shade bar to the proper width for your window. This should essentially be the finished width of the shade we just made.
Place the roller tension bar 2-3″ from the top of the back side of your fabric. If your fabric pattern has a top and bottom, make sure the rod is at the top! You’d hate to have an upside down pattern!
Make sure the bar is straight, and glue it down to the fabric, wrapping and gluing the excess around the barrel.
Add Footer Bar
Once your roller shade tension bar is secured, we will add the footer bar(that came with your shade hardware) to the bottom of the shade.
Measure and cut the plastic tube to fit your shade.
Working on the back side again, place your footer bar an inch or two(depending how wide it is) from the bottom of your fabric. Add a bead of glue on the bar and wrap the fabric once or twice around the bar(adding glue as necessary). This will create a weighted and stiff end for your shade.
Allow your shade to dry completely before hanging.
Install Your Roller Shade
Place your shade in its brackets. Follow the roller shade instructions to create the proper tension for your shade when raising and lowering it.
I added a plastic shade grip to the bottom of mine to keep the fabric clean when handling.
From this:
To this!
Enjoy Your No-Sew Shade!
That’s it! Step back and admire your custom roller shade. This simple project can easily be completed in a day – dry times are the longest part. You can also further customize the shade by adding ribbon or trim for a beautifully tailored look. Happy Creating!
